The Survivor (by Gregg Hurwitz)
This book is incredibly good! I have quickly become a huge fan of Gregg Hurwitz and want to read everything he has written. The Survivor immediately surprised me with the emotional weight the story holds. I often felt physically heavy while reading about Nate Overbay’s tragic life events. It might seem strange to have immensely enjoyed that feeling, but it just illustrated the talented writing of Hurwitz.
The Survivor opens with Nick Overbay climbing out a bathroom window in a bank on the 11th floor, preparing to end his life. At the same time, a group of menacing gunmen enters the bank and starts shooting employees and customers. Nick applies his military training to confront the gunmen and end their terrorizing robbery. One man is able to escape, and as he departs, he warns Nick that he will pay for his interference. Nick does pay. Seriously. He is kidnapped by the Ukrainian mobster Pavlo, who orchestrated the bank robbery, and is given an ultimatum to finish the bank job or watch Pavlo kill those closest to him.
Those closest to Nick are his estranged wife, Janie, and teenage daughter, Cielle. Nick joined the ROTC to pay for his college education. Unfortunately, he was called to serve in the Iraq War when Cielle was very young. Nick returned home suffering from a serious case of PTSD that contributed to the demise of his relationships with Janie and Cielle. A diagnosis of ALS has pushed Nick beyond his limits, which led him to the 11th floor ledge of the bank. Now, with Pavlo’s ultimatum, Nick has one last opportunity to protect his family.
Hurwitz structures the story so the reader learns everything about Nick Overbay’s life. While there’s so much sadness about Nick’s upbringing, there’s a beautiful story about how Nick and Janie met and the picture-perfect life they built. More tragedy occurs when Nick is deployed to serve in the war. Then the diagnosis of ALS. The suspension and tension builds as Nick navigates the Ukrainian mobsters. It’s an action-packed story, as well as emotional, from beginning to end. I loved every minute of it!
I purchased the audiobook of The Survivor with my Audible membership. Narration by Scott Brick is pure perfection! He’s one of my favorite audiobook narrators.
I’m also a fan of Hurwitz’s Orphan X series. You can check out my reviews for the books I’ve read so far below.
As a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases linked back to Amazon. Every penny earned allows me to blog about books and keeps this site running.
